Colorado’s sweeping new unconstitutional gun ban, just signed by Democrat Gov. Jared Polis on April 10, is already becoming the subject of scrutiny at the federal level.
For some background, the new law, which will take effect in August 2026, bans the sale of the most popular selling rifle in America—the Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR)—unless Coloradans obtain from their county sheriff approval, based on subjective criteria, a permit-to-purchase semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting detachable magazines.
Under the law, the sale of semi-automatic firearms capable of accepting a detachable magazine will be banned unless those purchasing the firearms are vetted by a local sheriff and complete a firearm certification course. Sheriff approval to apply for a permit-to-purchase is based on subjective criteria, which was expressly rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2022 Bruen decision.
Additionally, county sheriffs can deny an application if they have a “reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely the applicant will present a danger to themself or others.”
On Wednesday, state House Republicans sent a letter to U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi asking for her newly created Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force to look into the new law, which they consider unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.
“When state leaders ignore constitutional concerns and refuse to even allow a resolution requesting judicial review, federal oversight becomes not only appropriate, but absolutely necessary,” State Rep. Ryan Armagost said at a news conference announcing the action.
As we reported recently, many county sheriffs in the state continue to oppose the legislation. And some were present at Wednesday’s press conference announcing the request for a federal review.
“We have to do anything and everything we can to find out if there’s a way to overturn this,” said Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams. “If we really want to focus on preventing crime, we need to focus on how to hold criminals accountable and keep them in jail and prison longer for the crimes that they commit.”
AG Bondi’s Second Amendment Enforcement Task Force was formed in response to President Donald Trump’s February 7 executive order directing her to root out unconstitutional laws and rules on firearms and roll them back to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.
“For too long, the Second Amendment, which establishes the fundamental individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms, has been treated as a second-class right,” Bondi said in announcing the task force. “No more. It is the policy of this Department of Justice to use its full might to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Whether Bondi will review the new Colorado law remains uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the new law will face numerous court challenges in the future.
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